Loading mechanism



Sept. 9, 1958 P. F.-McDONO UGH 2,851,170

LOADING MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 5, 1954 Sept. 9, 1958 P. F. Mc o ou v 2,851,170

LOADING MECHANISM Filed April 5, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN+EI A-H'ys 2,851,170 Patented Sept. 9, 1958 LOADING MECHANISM Paul F. McDonongh, Dorchester, Mass.

Application April 5, 1954, Serial No. 420,893

6 Claims. (Cl. 214-1) This invention relates to a loading mechanism for use with a hoisting cable for placing loads under overhanging platforms, and more particularly for placing loads of building materials on the floors of buildings under construction.

In the construction of large, modern buildings, one of the builders problems is the delivery of building materials on the various partially completed floors of the structure. When the structure is advanced to the point where the various floors will sustain loads, they conveniently serve as platforms for building materials to be used in the remainder of the work. At such a stage the outside walls have not been completed and the building is therefore open at the various levels.

Much building material must be furnished at the various levels for the remaining work, for instance bricks, concrete and cinder blocks, cement, sand, mortar, electrical fixtures, plumbing fixtures, window frames, finishing material and the like. For such purpose it has been the usual practice to construct temporary elevator structures outside the building by which such materials are hoisted to the various levels. Such structures are semipermanent in nature and cannot be readily moved from one place to another and in a large building this means that the materials must be unloaded from the elevator by hand moved great distances over the floor levels, and in many cases the elevator structure must be knocked down and moved from place to place at great expense.

The problem would be much simplified if an ordinary cable-type hoisting machine could be used, either working from the ground level or from one of the upper stories. Such a hoisting machine has a boom which may be raised and lowered and swung in an are thereby readily to move loads from place to place over a large area, and particularly the truck or caterpillar mounted types can easily be moved from place to place all over a job where hoisting is required.

But thus far the use of such cable-type hoisting devices for placing heavy loads on various floor levels has been precluded because the floor structure above interferes with the cable, with the result that the load cannot be swung in and deposited on the floor. A

My invention comprises a device by which extremely heavy loads may be hoisted in pallets or buckets or other containers by means of a hoisting cable, swung in under a floor above and onto the next floor below and there deposited and released with the entire load placed well in from the edge of the floor.

My device may be readily understood by reference to its further description together with the drawings thereof in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective of the device and its load suspended from a hoisting cable;

Fig. 2 is a schematic side view of the device as it approaches an overhanging floor to deposit the load on the next floor thereunder;

Fig. 3 is a schematic side view showing the device in contact with the overhanging floor and beginning to swing its load thereunder; and

Fig. 4 is a schematic side view showing the device after it has deposited its load on a floor under an overhanging floor above.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 shows a hook member, generally indicated at 10, which comprises a pair of hookshaped elements 12 and 14 married together by cross members 15 and all of the proportions suflicient to give the strength required for carrying heavy loads. The two elements 12 and 14, herein for simplicity treated as the hook member, comprise a crook portion 20, an elongated substantially straight arm 21 extending diagonally outwardly and downwardly from the crook portion and having rolling means such as a pair of rolls or wheels 24 under the outer end thereof, a load suspending arm 26 extending downwardly from the opposite side of the crook'portion and having an outward bend 28 providing clearance around the edge of an overhanging platform of floors, as to be further described. The device has means conveniently comprising a pair of plate 30, a sling 31 and a ring 32 at and extending above the crook 20 to attach it to the hook 35 of a hoisting cable 36 extending from a cable sheave 40 on the boom 42 of a hoisting machine. At the lower end of the load suspending arm 26 are means for attaching suspendably thereunder a pallet 50 or other such load carrying device, for instance a bucket, and conveniently comprising a cross bar 62, a pair of plates 44 at the ends thereof and slings comprising a set of chains 46 having pelican hooks 48 by which the length of the slings 46 may be conveniently adjusted for carrying the pallet 50 and by which the load may be quickly released after it has been deposited, as to be further described.

The invention can henceforward be best understood from description of its operation, as illustrated in Figs. 24 inclusive. In Fig. 2, the cable sheave 40 of the boom 42 is placed so that the device 10 and its suspended load 40 may be hoisted, as shown, approximately abreast of the floor A of a building having floors A, B and C in preparation for landing the load 40 on the floor B under the overhanging floor A and those above. When the rig has been brought to the position shown in Fig. 2, the vertical cable 36 is then swung in closer to the building, as by booming up, and the cable 36 then adjusted so as to land the rollers 24 on the edge of the floor A as in the full line position shown in Fig. 3. Then, and without moving the boom 42, the cable 36 is slightly lowered, allowing the straight arm 21 to swing down and radially around the roller 24 as a center to or toward the dot-and-dash position shown, thus causing the cable 36 to assume a position out of vertical and further away from the building and to cause the load 40 to commence to swing down and in over the floor B. In this position a force inwardly toward the building is generated on the device 10 and its load, as shown by the arrow, which is equal and opposite to the force necessary to swing the cable with its suspended load outwardly out of the vertical and which, when sufiicient to overcome the friction of the rollers 24 on the floor A, causes the device to roll inwardly to the right, as shown, over the floor A and the cable is further lowered to bring the arm 21 into the substantially horizontal position shown in Fig. 4. When the arm 21 has reached the position shown in Fig. 4 the load 40 has been landed on the floor B. The sling chains 46 have previously been adjusted in length so that at this point a slightly further lowering of the cable 36 relieves the strain on the chains 46 so that the pelican hooks 48 may be released thus freeing the load from the device 10.

It will be seen that with the hoisting device and its suspended cable once placed so as to land the rolls 24 on the edge of the floor above as shown in Fig. 3, the hoisting device itself need not be further moved, and all that is required is a further lowering of the cable to cause the load to be deposited at a location under the overhanging floor. The device works automatically to provide the horizontal component of the movement of the load, the cable remains clear, and no horizontal forces need be applied other than those generated by the device itself.

The shape, size and strength of the device may, of course, be varied in accordance with the weight and size of the loads to be handled and the clearances to be encountered.

I claim:

I. Loading mechanism for use with a hoisting cable for placing a load on. a surface under an overhanging platform comprising a hook member having a pair of arms, rolling means on the end of one said arm, means at the end of the other said arm for attaching a load suspendably thereto and means intermediate said arms to attach a hoisting cable, whereby when. the loaded hook member is placed with the rolling means landed on the said overhanging platform and the cable is further lowered, the hook member swings to move the load toward the surface under said platform and is forced to roll in from the edge of said platform further moving the suspended load thereunder.

2. Loading mechanism for use with a hoisting cable for placing a load on a surface under an overhanging platform comprising a hook member having a pair of arms,

rolling means on the end of one said arm, means at the end of the other said arm for attaching a load suspendably thereto, and means intermediate said arms to attach a hoisting cable, whereby whenthe loaded hook member is placed with the rolling means landed on the said overhanging platform and the cable is further lowered, the hook member swings to move-the load toward the surface under said platform and is forced to roll in from the edge of said platform further moving the suspended load thereunder, said load attaching means being adjustable in length according to the distance between said surface and said overhanging'platform and to allow the strain thereon to be released by further lowering of the cable after the load is deposited on said surface.

3. Loading mechanism for use with a hoisting cable for placing a load on a surface under an overhanging platform comprising a hook member having a pair of arms, rolling means on the end of one said arm, the other said arm being a load suspending arm extending downwardly and having an outward bent providing clearance around the edge of an overhanging platform, and means at the end of said other arm for attaching a load suspendably from the end thereof whereby when a hoisting cable is attached intermediate said arms and the loaded hook member is placed with the rolling means landed on the said overhanging platform and the cable is further lowered, the hook member swings to move the load toward the surface under said platform and is forced to roll in from the edge of said platform further moving the suspended load thereunder.

4. Loading mechanism for use with a hoisting cable for placing a load on a surface under an overhanging platform comprising a hook member having a pair of arms, rolling means on the end of one said arm, means at the end of the other said arm for attaching a load suspendably thereto, and means intermediate said arms to attach a hoisting cable, whereby when the loaded hook member is placed with the rolling means landed on the said overhanging platform and the cable is further lowered, the hook member swings to move the load toward the surface under said platform and is forced to roll in from the edge of said platform further moving the suspended load thereunder, said load attaching means being releasable to free the hook member after the load is deposited on said surface.

5. Loading mechanism for use with a hoisting cable for placing a load on a surface under an overhanging platform comprising a hook member having a crook portion, an elongated substantially straight arm extending from the crook portion, rolling means on the end of said arm, a load suspending arm extending downwardly from the opposite side of the crook portion and having an outward bend providing clearance around the edge of an overhanging platform, means at the crook to attach the member to a hoisting cable, and means at the lower end of the load suspending arm for attaching a load suspendably thereunder, whereby when the loaded hook member is placed with the rolling means on the said overhanging platform and the cable is further lowered, the load suspending arm swings to place the load under said platform and the hook member is forced to roll in from the edge of said platform further moving the suspended load thereunder.

6. Loading mechanism for use with a hoisting cable for placing a load on a surface under an overhanging platform consisting of a pair of similar hook elements each having a crook portion, an elongated arm extending from the crook portion, and a load suspending arm extending downwardly from the opposite side of said crook portion, said hook elements being held in spaced relation by cross members thereby forming a double hook member, said hook member having rolling means at the ends of its elongated arms, means at the crooks to attach it to a hoisting cable, and means at the lower ends of the load supporting arms for attaching a load suspendably thereunder, whereby when the loaded hook member is placed with the rolling means on the said overhanging platform and the cable is further lowered, the load suspending arms swing to place the load under said platform and the hook member is forced to roll in from the edge of said platform further moving the suspended load thereunder.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,783,021 Leach Nov. 25, 1930 1,956,398 Nullmeyer Apr. 24, 1934 2,532,255 Davis Nov. 28, 1950 

